GEORGE  W.  WHISTLER 

CIVIL    ENGINEER 


WOBUKN  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


' 


••  o 

A    SKETCH 

OK 

THE    LIFE    AND    WORKS 

OF 

GEORGE    W.   WHISTLER 

Ct'fct'I  Engineer 


GEORGE    L.   VOSE 

PRESIDENT   OK   THE    BOSTON    SOCIETY    OF    CIVIL    ENGINEERS 


10200 

BOSTON 
LEE     AND    SHEPARD,    PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK 

CHARLES    T.    DILLINGHAM 
1887 


NOTE. 


TN  placing  my  name  upon  the  titlepage  of  this 
-*•  sketch,  I  do  so  more  as  a  compiler  than  as  an 
author.  My  only  object  has  been  to  collect  such 
facts,  from  those  of  our  older  engineers  who  knew 
Major  Whistler,  as  would  enable  me  to  place  before 
the  younger  members  of  the  profession  some  record 
of  one  of  its  most  brilliant  ornaments ;  to  hold  up 
an  illustrious  example  of  all  that  is  worthy  of  imita- 
tion ;  to  show  them  something  of  one  who  was 
equally  admired  as  an  engineer,  and  beloved  as  a 
man.  Whatever  of  value  may  be  found  in  the  sketch 
must  be  credited  to  that  rapidly  decreasing  band  of 
veteran  engineers  who  have  recalled  for  me  their 
early  years  and  their  early  labors ;  men  who  saw 
the  beginning  of  the  railroad  system  in  America, 
and  many  of  whom  had  the  good  fortune  to  begin 


their  career  under  the  great  master  whose  memory 
is  so  fondly  cherished  by  all  who  were  connected 
with  him.  Not  only  have  I  availed  myself  to  the 
fullest  extent  of  the  recollections  of  these  men,  with- 
out which  I  could  have  done  nothing ;  but  I  have 
also  used  their  exact  language  whenever  I  could,  as 
the  reader  is  thus  placed  in  closer  communication 
with  the  subject  of  the  sketch  than  would  be  possi- 
ble in  any  other  way.  It  is  a  most  delightful  thing 
to  see  how  the  old  enthusiasm  and  the  youthful 
admiration  of  these  veterans  in  the  profession  kindle 
anew  as  they  recall  their  early  service  under  Major 
Whistler.  It  was  indeed  no  common  .man  who 
could  so  inspire  his  assistants  and  associates,  and 
who  could  leave  so  indelible  an  impression,  not 
only  upon  their  minds,  but  in  their  hearts. 

I  am  especially  indebted  for  the  material  which  is 
here  presented,  to  Gen.  George  S.  Greene  of  New 
York,  to  Col.  Julius  W.  Adams  of  Brooklyn,  to 
Messrs.  William  Raymond  Lee  and  Charles  S.  Stor- 
row  of  Boston,  to  James  B.  Francis  of  Lowell,  and 
to  the  late  E.  S.  Chesborough  of  Chicago,  nearly 
all  of  whom  in  their  early  life  were  associated  with 
Major  Whistler.  I  am  also  under  obligations  to 


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Dr.  William  Gibbs  McNeill  Whistler  of  London,  to 
G.  H.  Prince,  Esq.,  of  St.  Petersburg,  to  Messrs. 
William  E.  Worthen  and  John  Bogart  of  New 
York,  to  Mrs.  Gen.  D.  H.  Rucker  of  Washington,  to 
Lieut.  G.  N.  Whistler  of  the  United-States  Army, 
to  Thomas  D.  Whistler  of  Tarrytown,  to  the  super- 
intendent of  the  United-States  Military  Academy, 
to  Dr.  George  D.  Stanton  of  Stonington,  to  Samuel 
Nott  of  Hartford,  to  E.  H.  Hazard  of  Providence, 
and  to  John  B.  Winslow  and  Joseph  Ropes  of  Bos- 
ton. The  officers  of  the  several  libraries  in  Boston, 
and  of  the  historical  societies  in  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut,  have  aided  me  in 
many  ways  in  obtaining  information  ;  and  the  man- 
agers of  the  several  railroads  with  which  Major 
Whistler  was  connected  have  given  me  access  at  all 
times  to  their  archives. 

The  portrait  facing  the  titlepage  is  from  an  en- 
graving published  in  New  York  about  the  time  of 
Major  Whistler's  death,  and  shows  him  in  the  prime 
of  manhood.  It  is  considered  an  excellent  likeness 
by  those  who  knew  him. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  use  the  words  of  one  of 
America's  foremost  engineers,  who  even  as  I  write 


has  closed  his  long  and  useful  life,  leaving  behind 
a  reputation  unsurpassed  for  sound  judgment,  great 
practical  ability,  and  the  most  sterling  worth:  "When- 
ever the  true  historian  of  civil  engineering  in  this 
country  shall  arise,  he  will  give  to  Major  Whistler  a 
position  of  which  its  younger  members  to-day  ap- 
pear to  have  no  conception,  and  of  which  many  of 
the  older  appear  to  have  very  inadequate  ideas." 

G.  L.  V. 


GEORGE   W.  WHISTLER. 


FEW  persons,  even  among  those  best  acquainted 
with  our  modern  railroad  system,  are  aware  of 
the  early  struggles  of  the  men  to  whose  foresight, 
energy,  and  skill  the  new  mode  of  transportation 
owes  its  introduction  into  this  country.  The  railroad 
problem  in  the  United  States  was  quite  a  different 
one  from  that  in  Europe.  Had  we  simply  copied 
the  railways  of  England,  we  should  have  ruined  the 
system  at  the  outset  for  this  country.  In  England, 
where  the  railroad  had  its  origin,  money  was  plenty, 
the  land  was  densely  populated,  and  the  demand  for 
rapid  and  cheap  transportation  already  existed.  A 
great  many  short  lines  connecting  the  great  centres 
of  industry  were  required,  and  for  the  construction  of 
such  in  the  most  substantial  manner  the  money  was 
easily  obtained.  In  America,  on  the  contrary,  a  land 
of  enormous  extent,  almost  entirely  undeveloped, 
but  of  great  possibilities,  lines  of  hundreds  and  even 


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thousands  of  miles  in  extent  were  to  be  made,  to 
connect  cities  as  yet  unborn,  and  to  accommodate  a 
future  traffic  of  which  no  one  could  possibly  foresee 
the  amount.  Money  was  scarce,  and  in  many  districts 
the  natural  obstacles  to  be  overcome  were  infinitely 
greater  than  any  which  had  presented  themselves  to 
European  engineers. 

By  the  sound  practical  sense  and  the  unconquerable 
will  of  George  Stephenson,  the  numerous  inventions 
which  together  made  up  the  locomotive-engine  had 
been  combined  in  a  machine,  which,  in  connection 
with  the  improved  roadway,  was  to  revolutionize  the 
transportation  of  the  world.  The  railroad  as  a  ma- 
chine was  invented.  It  remained  to  apply  the  new 
invention  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  a  success, 
and  not  a  failure.  To  do  this  in  a  new  country  like 
America,  required  infinite  skill,  unbounded  energy, 
the  most  careful  study  of  local  conditions,  and  the 
exercise  of  well-matured,  sound  business  judgment. 
To  see  how  well  the  great  invention  has  been 
applied  in  the  United  States,  we  have  only  to  look 
at  the  network  of  iron  roads  which  now  reaches  from 
the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

With  all  the  experience  we  have  had,  it  is  not 
an  easy  problem,  even  at  the  present  time,  to  de- 
termine how  much  money  we  are  authorized  to  spend 


upon  the  construction  of  a  given  railroad.  To  secure 
the  utmost  benefit,  at  the  least  outlay,  regarding  both 
the  first  cost  of  building  the  road,  and  the  perpetual 
cost  of  operating  it,  is  the  railroad  problem  which  is, 
perhaps,  less  understood  at  the  present  day  than  any 
other.  It  was  an  equally  important  problem  fifty  years 
ago,  and  certainly  not  less  difficult  at  that  time.  It 
was  the  fathers  of  the  railroad  system  in  the  United 
States  who  first  perceived  the  importance  of  this 
problem,  and  who,  adapting  themselves  to  the  new 
conditions  presented  in  this  country,  undertook  to 
solve  it.  Among  the  pioneers  in  this  branch  of  engi- 
neering, no  one  has  done  more  to  establish  correct 
methods,  or  has  left  behind  a  more  enviable  or  a 
more  enduring  fame,  than  Major  George  W.  Whistler. 
The  Whistler  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  is 
found  towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  in 
Oxfordshire,  at  Goring  and  Whitechurch,  on  the 
Thames.  One  branch  of  the  family  settled  in  Sussex, 
at  Hastings  and  Battle,  being  connected  by  marriage 
with  the  Websters  of  Battle  Abbey,  in  which  neigh- 
borhood some  of  the  family  still  live.  Another 
branch  lived  in  Essex,  from  which  came  Dr.  Daniel 
Whistler,  president  of  the  College  of  Physicians  in 
London  in  the  time  of  Charles  II.,  a  person  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  "  Pepys'  Diary."  From  the 
Oxfordshire  branch  came  Ralph,  son  of  Hugh  Whistler 


10 


of  Goring,  who  went  to  Ireland,  and  there  founded 
the  Irish  branch  of  the  family ;  being  the  original 
tenant  of  a  large  tract  of  country  in  Ulster  under 
one  of  the  guilds,  or  public  companies,  of  the  city  of 
London.  From  this  branch  of  the  family  came  Major 
John  Whistler,  father  of  the  distinguished  engineer, 
and  the  first  representative  of  the  family  in  America. 
It  is  stated  that  in  some  youthful  freak  he  ran  away, 
and  enlisted  in  the  British  army.  It  is  certain  that 
he  came  to  this  country  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  under  Gen.  Burgoyne,  and  remained  with  his 
command  until  its  surrender  at  Saratoga,  when  he  was 
taken  prisoner  of  war.  Upon  his  return  to  England 
he  was  honorably  discharged  ;  and  soon  after,  forming 
an  attachment  for  a  daughter  of  Sir  Edward  Bishop, 
a  friend  of  his  father,  he  eloped  with  her,  and  came  to 
this  country,  settling  at  Hagerstown  in  Maryland.  He 
soon  after  entered  the  army  of  the  United  States,  and 
served  in  the  ranks,  being  severely  wounded  in  the 
disastrous  campaign  against  the  Indians  under  Major- 
Gen.  St.  Clair,  in  the  year  1791.  He  was  afterwards 
commissioned  as  lieutenant,  rose  to  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain, and  later  had  the  brevet  of  major.  At  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  army  in  1815,  having  already  two  sons  in 
the  service,  he  was  not  retained  ;  but  in  recognition 
of  his  honorable  record,  he  was  appointed  military- 
storekeeper  at  Newport,  Ky.,  from  which  post  he  was 


afterwards  transferred  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  a  short 
distance  below  St.  Louis,  where  he  lived  to  a  good 
old  age,  and  died,  and  was  buried. 

Major  John  Whistler  had  a  large  family  of  sons  and 
daughters,  among  whom  we  may  note  particularly : 
William,  who  became  a  colonel  in  the  United-States 
Army,  and  who  died  at  Newport,  Ky.,  in  1863  ;  John, 
a  lieutenant  in  the  army,  who  died  of  wounds  received 
in  the  battle  of  Maguago,  near  Detroit,  in  1812  ;  and 
George  Washington,  the  subject  of  our  sketch.  Major 
John  Whistler  was  not  only  a  good  soldier,  and  highly 
esteemed  for  his  military  services,  but  was  also  a  man 
of  refined  tastes  and  well  educated  ;  being  an  uncom- 
monly good  linguist,  and  especially  noted  as  a  fine 
musician.  In  his  family  he  is  stated  to  have  united 
firmness  with  tenderness,  and  to  have  impressed  upon 
his  children  the  importance  of  a  faithful  and  thorough 
performance  of  duty,  in  whatever  position  they  should 
be  placed. 

George  Washington  Whistler,  the  youngest  son  of 
Major  John  Whistler,  was  born  on  the  iQth  of  May,  in 
the  year  1800,  at  Fort  Wayne,  in  the  present  State  of 
Indiana,  but  then  a  part  of  the  North-west  Territory, 
his  father' being  at  the  time  in  command  of  that  post. 
Of  the  boyhood  of  George  Whistler  we  have  no 
record,  except  that  he  followed  his  parents  from  one 
military  station  to  another,  receiving  his  early  educa- 


12 

tion,  for  the  most  part,  at  Newport,  Ky.,  from  which 
place,  on  July  31,  1814,  he  was  appointed  a  cadet 
to  the  United  -  States  Military  Academy,  being  then 
fourteen  years  of  age. 

The  course  of  the  student  at  West  Point  was  a  very 
satisfactory  one.  Owing  to  a  change  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  classes  after  his  entrance,  he  had  the  advan- 
tage of  a  longer  term  than  had  been  given  to  those 
who  preceded  him,  remaining  five  years  under  instruc- 
tion. His  record  during  his  student  life  was  good 
throughout.  In  a  class  of  thirty  members  he  stood 
number  one  in  drawing,  number  four  in  descriptive 
geometry,  number  five  in  drill,  number  eleven  in  phi- 
losophy and  in  engineering,  number  twelve  in  mathe- 
matics, and  number  ten  in  general  merit.  He  was 
remarkable,  says  one  who  knew  him  at  this  time,  for 
his  frank  and  open  manner,  and  for  his  pleasant  and 
cheerful  disposition.  A  good  story  is  told  of  the 
young  cadet,  which  shows  his  ability,  even  at  this  time, 
to  make  the  best  of  circumstances  apparently  un- 
toward, and  to  turn  to  his  advantage  his  surroundings, 
whatever  they  might  be.  Having  been,  for  some 
slight  breach  of  discipline,  required  to  bestride  a  gun 
in  the  campus  for  a  short  time,  he  saw,  to  his  dismay, 
coming  down  the  walk  the  beautiful  daughter  of  Dr. 
Foster  Swift,  a  young  lady  who,  visiting  West  Point, 
had  taken  the  hearts  of  the  cadets  by  storm ;  and  who, 


13 

little  as  he  may  at  the  time  have  dreamed  it,  was 
destined  to  become  his  future  wife.  Pulling  out  his 
handkerchief,  he  bent  over  his  gun,  and  appeared 
absorbed  in  cleaning  the  most  inaccessible  parts  of  it 
with  such  vigor  as  to  be  entirely  unaware  that  any 
one  was  passing ;  nor  did  the  young  lady  dream 
that  a  case  of  discipline  had  been  before  her,  until 
in  after  years,  when  on  a  visit  to  West  Point,  an 
explanation  was  made  to  her  by  her  husband. 

It  was  at  this  time  of  his  life,  that  the  refinement 
and  taste  for  which  Major  Whistler  was  ever  after 
noted  began  to  show  itself.  An  accomplished  scien- 
tific musician  and  performer,  he  gained  a  reputation 
in  this  direction  beyond  that  of  a  mere  amateur,  and 
scarcely  below  that  of  the  professionals  of  the  day. 
His  nickname,  "Pipes,"  which  his  skill  upon  the  flute 
at  this  time  gave  him,  adhered  to  him  through  life 
among  his  intimates  in  the  army.  His  skill  with  the 
pencil,  too,  was  something  phenomenal,  and  would, 
but  for  more  serious  duties,  have  made  him  as  distin- 
guished an  artist  as  he  was  an  engineer.  Fortunately 
for  the  world,  this  talent  descended  to  one  of  his 
sons,  and  in  his  hands  has  had  full  development. 
These  tastes  in  Whistler  appeared  to  be  less  the  re- 
sults of  study  on  his  part  than  the  spontaneous  out- 
growth of  a  refined  and  delicate  organization,  and  so 
far  constitutional  with  him  that  they  seemed  to  tinge 


his  entire  character.  They  continued  to  be  developed 
till  past  the  meridian  of  life,  and  amid  all  the  pressure 
of  graver  duties  furnished  a  most  delightful  relaxation. 
Upon  completing  his  course  at  the  Military  Acad- 
emy, he  was  graduated,  July  i,  1819,  and  appointed 
second  lieutenant  in  the  Corps  of  Artillery.  From 
this  date  until  1821  he  served,  part  of  the  time  on 
topographical  duty,  and  part  of  the  time  he  was  in 
garrison  at  Fort  Columbus.  From  Nov.  2,  1821,  to 
April  30,  1822,  he  was  assistant  professor  at  the  Mili- 
tary Academy,  a  position  for  which  his  attainments 
in  descriptive  geometry  and  his  skill  in  drawing  espe- 
cially fitted  him.  This  employment,  however,  was  not 
altogether  to  his  taste.  He  was  too  much  of  an  artist 
to  wish  to  confine  himself  to  the  mechanical  methods 
needed  in  the  training  of  engineering  students.  In 
1822,  although  belonging  to  the  artillery,  he  was  de- 
tailed on  topographical  duty,  under  Major  (afterwards 
Col.)  Abert,  and  was  connected  with  the  commission 
employed  in  tracing  the  international  boundary  be- 
tween Lake  Superior  and  the  Lake  of  the  Woods. 
This  work  continued  during  the  four  years  from  1822 
to  1826,  and  subsequent  duties  in  the  cabinet  of  the 
commission  employed  nearly  two  years  more.  The 
field  service  of  this  engagement  was  any  thing  but 
light  work ;  much  of  it  being  performed  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  with  a  temperature  fifty  degrees  below 


zero.  The  principal  food  of  the  party  was  tallow  and 
some  other  substance,  which  was  warmed  over  a  fire 
on  stopping-  at  night.  The  snow  was  then  removed 
to  a  sufficient  depth  for  a  bed,  and  the  party  wrapped 
one  another  up  in  their  buffalo-robes  until  the  last 
man's  turn  came,  when  he  had  to  wrap  himself  up 
the  best  he  could.  In  the  morning,  after  warming 
their  food  and  eating,  the  remainder  was  allowed  to 
harden  in  the  pan,  after  which  it  was  carried  on  the 
backs  of  men  to  the  next  stopping-place.  The  work 
was  all  done  upon  snow-shoes;  and  occasionally  a 
man  became  so  blinded  by  the  glare  of  the  sun  upon 
the  snow,  that  he  had  to  be  led  by  a  rope. 

Upon  the  ist  of  June,  1821,  Whistler  was  made 
second  lieutenant  in  the  First  Artillery  in  the  re-organ- 
ized army.  On  the  i6th  of  August,  1821,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Second  Artillery ;  and  on  the  1 6th  of 
August,  1829,  he  was  made  first  lieutenant.  Although 
belonging  in  the  artillery,  he  was  assigned  to  topo- 
graphical duty  almost  continually  until  Dec.  31,  1833, 
when  he  resigned  his  position  in  the  army.  A  large 
part  of  his  time  during  this  period  was  spent  in  making 
surveys,  plans,  and  estimates  for  public  works ;  not 
merely  those  needed  by  the  National  Government, 
but  others,  which  were  undertaken  by  chartered  com- 
panies in  different  parts  of  the  United  States.  There 
were  at  that  time  very  few  educated  engineers  in  the 


i6 

country  besides  the  graduates  of  the  Military  Acad- 
emy ;  and  the  army  engineers  were  therefore  fre- 
quently applied  for  by  private  corporations,  and  for 
several  years  Government  granted  their  services. 

Prominent  among  the  early  works  of  internal  im- 
provement was  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad ;  and 
the  managers  of  this  undertaking  had  been  successful 
in  obtaining  the  services  of  several  officers  who  were 
then  eminent,  or  afterwards  became  so.  The  names 
of  Dr.  Howard,  —  who,  though  not  a  military  man, 
had  been  attached  to  the  corps  of  engineers,  —  of 
Lieut.-Col.  Long,  and  of  Capt.  William  Gibbs  McNeill, 
appear  in  the  proceedings  of  the  company  as  "  Chiefs 
of  Brigade;"  and  those  of  Fessenden,  Gwynne,  and 
Trimble,  among  the  assistants. 

In  October,  1828,  this  company  made  a  special  re- 
quest for  the  services  of  Lieut.  Whistler.  The  direct- 
ors had  resolved  on  sending  a  deputation  to  England 
to  examine  the  railroads  of  that  country ;  and  Jonathan 
Knight,  William  Gibbs  McNeill,  and  George  \V.  Whist- 
ler were  selected  for  this  duty.  They  were  also  ac- 
companied by  Ross  Winans,  whose  fame  and  fortune, 
together  with  that  of  his  sons,  became  so  widely  known 
afterwards  in  connection  with  the  great  Russian  railway. 
Lieut.  Whistler  was  chosen  for  this  service,  says  one 
who  knew  him  well,  on  account  of  his  remarkable  thor- 
oughness in  all  the  details  of  his  profession,  as  well  as 


for  his  superior  qualifications  in  other  respects.  The 
party  left  this  country  in  November,  1828,  and  returned 
in  May,  1829. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  year,  the  organization 
of  the  road,  a  part  of  which  had  already  been  con- 
structed under  the  immediate  personal  supervision  of 
Lieut.  Whistler,  assumed  a  more  permanent  form,  and 
allowed  the  military  engineers  to  be  transferred  to 
other  undertakings  of  a  similar  character.  Accord- 
ingly, in  June,  1830,  Capt.  McNeill  and  Lieut.  Whistler 
were  sent  to  the  Baltimore  and  Susquehanna  Railroad, 
for  which  they  made  the  preliminary  surveys  and  a 
definite  location  ;  and  upon  which  they  remained  until 
about  twenty  miles  were  completed,  when  a  lack  of 
funds  caused  a  temporary  suspension  of  the  work.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1831,  Lieut.  Whistler  went  to  New 
Jersey  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  Paterson  and 
Hudson-River  Railroad  (now  a  part  of  the  Erie  Rail- 
way). Upon  this  work  he  remained  until  1833,  at 
which  time  he  moved  to  Connecticut  to  take  charge  of 
the  location  of  the  railroad  from  Providence  to  Ston- 
ington,  a  line  which  had  been  proposed  as  an  extension 
of  the  road  already  in  process  of  construction  from 
Boston  to  Providence. 

In  this  year,  Dec.  31,  1833,  Lieut.  Whistler  resigned 
his  commission  in  the  army;  and  this  not  so  much  from 
choice  as  from  a  sense  of  duty.  Hitherto  his  work  as 


i8 

an  engineer  appears  to  have  been  more  in  the  nature 
of  an  employment  than  a  vocation.  He  carried  on 
his  undertakings  diligently,  as  it  was  his  nature  to 
do,  but  without  much  anxiety  or  enthusiasm  ;  and  he 
was  satisfied  with  meeting  difficulties,  as  they  came  up, 
with  a  sufficient  solution.  Henceforward  he  followed 
his  profession  from  a  love  of  it.  He  labored  that  his 
resources  against  the  demands  of  matter  and  space 
should  be  over-abundant ;  and  if  he  had  before  been 
content  with  the  sure-footed  facts  of  observation,  he 
now  added  the  luminous  aid  of  study.  How  luminous 
and  how  sure  these  combined  became,  his  later  works 
show  best. 

In  1834  Mr.  Whistler  accepted  the  position  of  engi- 
neer to  the  Proprietors  of  Locks  and  Canals  at  Lowell. 
This  position  gave  him,  among  other  things,  the  direc- 
tion of  the  machine-shops,  which  had  been  made  prin- 
cipally for  the  construction  of  locomotive  engines. 
The  Boston  and  Lowell  Railroad,  which  at  this  time 
was  in  process  of  construction,  had  imported  a  locomo- 
tive from  the  works  of  George  and  Robert  Stephenson 
at  Newcastle,  and  this  engine  was  to  be  reproduced, 
not  only  for  the  use  of  the  Lowell  road,  but  for  other 
railways  as  well ;  and  to  this  work  Whistler  gave  a 
large  part  of  his  time  from  1834  to  1837.  The  mak- 
ing of  these  engines  illustrated  well  the  features  in  his 
character  which  then  and  ever  after  were  of  the  utmost 


19 

value  to  those  for  whom  he  worked.  It  shows  the 
self-denial  with  which  he  excluded  any  novelties  of  his 
own,  the  caution  with  which  he  admitted  those  of 
others,  and  the  judgment  which  he  exercised  in  select- 
ing and  combining  the  most  meritorious  of  existing 
arrangements.  His  preference  for  what  was  simple 
and  had  been  tried  did  not  arise  from  a  want  of  origi- 
nality, as  he  had  abundant  occasion  to  show  during  the 
whole  of  his  engineering  life.  He  was,  indeed,  uncom- 
monly fertile  in  expedients,  as  all  who  knew  him  testify; 
and  the  greater  the  demand  upon  his  originality,  the 
higher  did  he  rise  to  meet  the  occasion.  The  time 
spent  in  Lowell  was  not  only  to  the  great  advantage 
of  the  company,  but  it  increased  also  his  own  stores  of 
mechanical  knowledge,  and  in  a  direction,  too,  which 
in  later  years  was  of  especial  value  to  him. 

In  1837  the- condition  of  the  Stonington  Railroad 
became  such  as  to  demand  the  continual  presence 
and  attention  of  the  engineer.  Mr.  Whistler,  there- 
fore, moved  to  Stonington,  a  place  to  which  he  became 
much  attached,  and  to  which  he  seems  during  all  of 
his  wanderings  to  have  looked  with  a  view  of  making 
it  finally  his  home.  While  engaged  upon  the  above 
work,  he  was  consulted  in  regard  to  many  other 
undertakings  in  different  parts  of  the  country ;  and 
prominent  among  these  was  the  Western  Railroad  of 
Massachusetts. 


20 

This  great  work,  remarkable  for  the  boldness  of  its 
engineering,  was  to  run  from  Worcester  through 
Springfield  and  Pittsfield  to  Albany.  To  surmount 
the  highlands  dividing  the  waters  of  the  Connecticut 
from  those  of  the  Hudson,  called  for  engineering 
cautious  and  skilful,  as  well  as  heroic.  The  line  from 
Worcester  to  Springfield,  though  apparently  much  less 
formidable,  and  to  one  who  now  rides  over  the  road 
showing  no  very  marked  features,  demanded  hardly 
less  study;  as  many  as  twelve  several  routes  having 
been  examined  between  Worcester  and  Brookfield. 
To  undertake  the  solution  of  a  problem  of  so  much 
importance,  required  the  best  of  engineering  talent; 
and  we  find  associated  in  this  work  the  names  of 
three  men  who  in  the  early  railroad  enterprises  of  this 
country  stood  deservedly  in  the  front  rank,  —  George 
W.  Whistler,  William  Gibbs  McNeill,  and  William  H. 
Swift.  McNeill  had  graduated  from  the  Military  Acad- 
emy in  1817,  and  risen  to  the  rank  of  major  in  the 
topographical  engineers.  Like  Whistler,  he  had  been 
detailed  to  take  charge  of  the  design  and  construction 
of  many  works  of  internal  improvement  not  under 
the  direction  of  the  General  Government.  These  two 
engineers  exercised  an  influence  throughout  the  coun- 
try for  many  years,  much  greater  than  that  of  any 
others.  Indeed,  there  were  very  few  works  of  impor- 
tance undertaken  at  that  time,  in  connection  with 


21 

which  their  names  do  not  appear.  This  alliance  was 
further  cemented  by  the  marriage  between  Whistler 
and  McNeill's  sister.  Capt.  William  H.  Swift  had 
also  graduated  from  the  Military  Academy,  and  had 
already  shown  marked  ability  as  an  engineer.  Such 
were  the  men  who  undertook  the  location  and  con- 
struction of  the  railroad  which  was  to  surmount  the 
highlands  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Hudson, 
and  to  connect  Boston  with  the  Great  West. 

The  early  reports  of  these  engineers  to  the  directors 
of  the  Western  Railroad  show  an  exceedingly  thor- 
ough appreciation  of  the  complex  problem  presented 
to  them,  and  a  much  better  understanding  of  the  prin- 
ciples involved  in  establishing  the  route  than  seems 
to  have  been  shown  in  many  far  more  recent  works. 
In  these  early  reports,  made  in  1836  and  1837,  we 
find  elaborate  discussions  as  to  the  power  of  the  loco- 
motive engine  ;  and  a  recognition  of  the  fact,  that  in 
comparing  different  lines  we  must  regard  the  plan  as 
well  as  the  profile,  "  as  the  resistance  from  curves  on 
a  level  road  may  even  exceed  that  produced  by  gravity 
on  an  incline  ;  "  and  in  one  place  we  find  the  ascents 
"equated  at  eighteen  feet,  the  slope  which  requires 
double  the  power  needed  on  a  level  road,"  resulting 
in  a  "  virtual  increase"  We  find  also  a  very  clear 
expression  of  the  fact  that  an  increased  expenditure 
in  the  power  needed  to  operate  the  completed  road 


22 

may  overbalance  a  considerable  saving  in  first  cost. 
To  bear  this  principle  in  mind,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  work  in  accordance  with  the  directors'  ideas  of 
economy,  in  a  country  where  the  railroad  was  regarded 
very  largely  as  an  experiment,  was  by  no  means  an 
easy  task.  The  temptation  to  make  the  first  cost  low, 
at  the  expense  of  the  quality  of  the  road,  in  running 
up  the  valley  of  the  Westfield  River,  was  very  great, 
and  the  directors  were  at  one  time  very  strongly  urged 
to  make  an  exceedingly  narrow  and  crooked  road 
west  of  Springfield  ;  but  Major  Whistler  so  convinced 
the  president,  Thomas  B.  Wales,  of  the  folly  of  such 
a  course,  that  the  latter  declared  with  a  most  emphatic 
prefix  that  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  such  a 
twopenny  cow-path,  and  thus  prevented  its  adoption. 

Major  Whistler  had  many  investigations  to  make 
concerning  the  plans  and  policy  of  railroad  companies, 
at  a  time  when  almost  every  thing  connected  with 
them  was  comparatively  new  and  untried.  When  he 
commenced,  there  was  no  passenger- railroad  in  the 
country,  and  but  very  few  miles  of  quarry  and  mining 
track.  If  at  that  time  an  ascent  of  more  than  one  in 
two  hundred  was  required,  it  was  thought  necessary 
to  have  inclined  planes  and  stationary  power.  It  was 
supposed  that  by  frequent  relays  it  would  be  possible 
to  obtain  for  passenger-cars  a  speed  of  eight  or  nine 
miles  an  hour.  Almost  nothing  was  known  of  the 


23 

best  form  for  rails,  of  the  construction  of  the  track, 
or  of  the  details  for  cars  or  engines.  In  all  of  these 
things  Major  Whistler's  highly  gifted  and  well-balanced 
mind  enabled  him  to  judge  wisely  for  his  employers, 
and  to  practise  for  them  the  truest  economy. 

Major  Whistler's  connection  with  the  Western  Rail- 
road began  while  he  was  still  engaged  upon  the  Ston- 
ington  Line.  Associated  with  his  friend  McNeill,  he 
acted  as  consulting  engineer  for  the  Western  road  from 
1836  to  1840.  From  1840  to  1842  he  was  its  chief 
engineer,  with  his  headquarters  at  Springfield.  The 
steep  grades  west  of  the  Connecticut  presented  not 
only  a  difficult  problem  in  location,  but  in  locomotive 
engineering  as  well.  At  the  present  day  we  can  order 
any  equipment  which  may  best  meet  the  requirement 
upon  any  railroad,  and  the  order  will  be  promptly  met 
by  any  one  of  our  great  manufactories  ;  but  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Western  Railroad  it  was  far  other- 
wise, and  the  locomotive  which  should  successfully 
and  economically  surmount  with  heavy  trains  a 
grade  of  over  eighty  feet  to  the  mile  was  yet  to  be 
seen.  The  Messrs.  Winans  of  Baltimore  had  built 
some  nondescript  machines,  which  had  received  the 
name  of  "  crabs,"  and  had  tried  to  make  them  work 
upon  the  Western  road  ;  but  after  many  attempts  they 
were  finally  given  up  as  unfit  for  such  service.  These 
"crabs "were  eight-wheeled  engines,  weighing  about 


24 

twenty  tons,  with  a  vertical  boiler.  The  wheels  were 
three  feet  and  a  half  in  diameter ;  but  the  engine 
worked  on  to  an  intermediate  shaft,  which  was  con- 
nected with  the  driving-wheels  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  get  the  effect  of  a  five-feet  wheel.  These  engines 
did  not  impress  Major  Whistler  at  all  favorably.  His 
experience  in  Lowell  was  here  of  great  value  to  him  ; 
and  he  had  become  convinced  that  the  engine  of 
George  Stephenson  was,  in  the  main,  the  coming  ma- 
chine, and  needed  but  to  be  properly  proportioned, 
and  of  sufficient  size,  to  meet  every  demand. 

With  Major  Whistler's  work  upon  the  Western  Rail- 
road, his  engineering  service  in  this  country  concluded, 
and  that  by  an  occurrence  which  marked  him  as  one 
of  the  foremost  engineers  of  his  time.  Patient,  inde- 
fatigable, cautious,  remarkable  for  exhaustless  resource, 
admirable  judgment,  and  the  highest  engineering  skill, 
he  had  begun  with  the  beginning  of  the  railroad  sys- 
tem, and  had  risen  to  the  chief  control  of  one  of  the 
greatest  works  in  the  world,  —  the  Western  Railroad  of 
Massachusetts.  Not  only  had  he  shown  the  most  far- 
sighted  wisdom  in  fixing  the  general  features  of  this 
undertaking;  but  no  man  surpassed  him,  if  indeed  any 
one  equalled  him,  in  an  exact  and  thorough  knowledge 
of  technical  details.  To  combine  the  various  elements 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce  the  greatest  commer- 
cial success,  and  to  make  the  railroad  in  the  widest 


25 

sense  of  the  word  a  public  improvement,  never  forget- 
ting the  amount  of  money  at  his  disposal,  was  the 
problem  he  had  undertaken  to  solve.  He  had  proved 
himself  a  great  master  in  his  profession,  and  had  shown 
how  well  fitted  he  was  to  grapple  with  every  difficulty. 
He  was  equally  a  man  of  science  and  a  man  of  busi- 
ness ;  and  to  all  this  he  added  the  most  delicate  sense 
of  honor,  and  the  most  spotless  integrity.  He  was 
in  the  prime  of  manhood,  and  was  prepared  to  enter 
upon  the  great  work  of  his  life. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  introduction  of  the  railroad, 
that  intelligent  persons  saw  very  plainly  that  the  new 
mode  of  transportation  was  not  to  be  confined  to  the 
working  of  an  already  established  traffic  in  densely 
populated  regions,  but  that  it  would  be  of  equal  service 
in  awakening  the  energies  of  undeveloped  countries, 
in  bringing  the  vast  interior  regions  of  the  continents 
into  communication  with  the  seaboard,  in  opening 
markets  to  lands  which  before  were  beyond  the  reach 
of  commerce.  And  it  was  seen,  too,  that  in  event  of 
war  a  new  and  invaluable  element  had  been  introduced ; 
viz.,  the  power  of  transportation  to  an  extent  never 
before  dreamed  of. 

Especially  were  these  advantages  foreseen  in  the 
vast  empire  of  Russia ;  and  an  attempt  was  very  early 
made  to  induce  private  capitalists  to  construct  the  lines 
contemplated  in  that  country.  The  Emperor,  besides 


26 

guaranteeing  to  the  shareholders  a  minimum  profit  of 
four  per  cent,  proposed  to  give  them  gratuitously  all 
the  lands  of  the  state  through  which  the  lines  should 
pass,  and  to  place  at  their  disposal,  also  gratuitously, 
the  timber  and  raw  materials  necessary  for  the  way  and 
works,  which  might  be  found  upon  the  ground.  It  was 
further  proposed  to  permit  the  importation  of  the  rails 
and  the  rolling-stock  free  of  duty.  Russian  proprie- 
tors also  came  forward,  and  not  only  agreed  to  grant 
such  portions  of  their  land  as  the  railroads  might  pass 
through,  gratuitously,  but,  further,  to  dispossess  them- 
selves temporarily  of  their  serfs,  and  surrender  them 
to  the  use  of  the  companies,  on  the  sole  condition  that 
they  should  be  properly  supported  while  thus  employed. 

With  regard  to  the  great  line,  however,  which  was 
to  unite  the  two  capitals,  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow, 
it  was  decreed  that  this  should  be  made  exclusively  at 
the  expense  of  the  state,  in  order  to  retain  in  the 
hands  of  the  government,  and  in  the  general  interest 
of  the  people,  a  line  of  communication  so  important  to 
the  industry  and  the  internal  commerce  of  the  empire. 
The  local  proprietors  agreed  to  surrender  to  the  gov- 
ernment, gratuitously,  the  lands  necessary  for  this  line. 

It  was  very  early  understood  that  the  railroad  prob- 
lem in  Russia  was  much  more  analogous  to  that  in  the 
United  States  than  to  that  in  England.  The  Emperor, 
therefore,  in  1839,  sent  the  Chevalier  De  Gerstner  to 


27 

the  United  States  to  obtain  information  concerning  the 
railroads  of  this  country.  It  was  this  person  who  had 
obtained  from  the  Emperor  the  concession  for  the 
short  railroad  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Zarskoe  Selo, 
which  had  been  opened  in  1837,  an<^  wno  nad  also 
made  a  careful  reconnoissance  in  1835  for  a  line  from 
St.  Petersburg  to  Moscow,  and  had  very  strongly  urged 
its  construction  on  the  American  plan.  The  more  De 
Gerstner  examined  our  roads,  the  more  impressed  he 
was  with  the  fitness  of  what  he  termed  the  American 
system  of  building  and  operating  railroads,  to  the  needs 
of  the  empire  of  Russia.  In  one  of  his  letters,  in  ex- 
plaining the  causes  of  the  cheap  construction  of  Amer- 
ican railways,  after  noting  the  fact  that  labor  as  well  as 
material  is  much  dearer  in  America  than  in  Europe,  he 
refers  to  the  use  of  steep  grades  (ninety-three  feet  to 
the  mile)  and  sharp  curves  (six  hundred  feet  radius) 
upon  which  the  American  equipment  works  easily;  to 
the  use  of  labor-saving  machinery,  particularly  to  a 
steam-excavating  machine  on  the  railroad  between 
Worcester  and  Springfield ;  and  to  the  American 
system  of  wooden-bridge  building ;  and  says,  "  The 
superstructure  of  the  railroads  in  America  is  made  con- 
formable to  the  expected  traffic,  and  costs  therefore 
more  or  less  accordingly;"  and  he  concludes,  "Con- 
sidering the  whole,  it  appears  that  the  cheapness  of 
the  American  railroads  has  its  foundation  in  the  prac- 


28 

tical  sense  which  predominates  in  their  construction." 
Again,  under  the  causes  of  the  cheap  management  of 
the  American  roads,  he  notes  the  less  expensive  ad- 
ministration service,  the  low  rate  of  speed,  the  use  of 
the  eight-wheeled  cars,  and  the  four-wheeled  truck 
under  the  engines;  and  concludes,  "  In  my  opinion,  it 
would  be  of  great  advantage  for  every  railroad  com- 
pany in  Europe  to  procure  at  least  one  train  like 
those  used  in  America.  Those  companies,  however, 
whose  works  are  yet  under  construction,  I  can  advise, 
with  the  fullest  conviction,  to  procure  all  their  loco- 
motive engines  and  tenders  from  America,  and  to 
construct  their  cars  after  the  American  model." 

Notwithstanding  this  report,  the  suggestions  of  De 
Gerstner  were  not  at  once  accepted.  The  magnitude 
of  the  enterprise  would  not  admit  of  taking  a  false 
step.  Further  evidence  was  needed ;  and,  accord- 
ingly, it  was  decided  to  send  a  committee  of  engineer 
officers  to  various  countries  in  Europe  and  to  the 
United  States,  to  select  such  a  system  for  the  road 
and  its  equipment,  as  would  be  best  adapted  to  Russia. 
These  officers,  Cols.  Menlikoff  and  Krofft,  not  only 
reported  in  the  most  decided  manner  in  favor  of  the 
American  methods,  but  also  stated  that  of  all  persons 
with  whom  they  had  communicated,  no  one  had  given 
them  such  full  and  satisfactory  information  upon  all 
points,  or  had  so  impressed  them  as  possessing  ex- 


29 

traordinary  ability,  as  Major  Whistler.  This  led  to  his 
receiving  an  invitation  from  the  Emperor  to  go  to 
Russia,  to  act  as  consulting  engineer  for  the  great 
road  which  was  to  connect  the  imperial  city  upon  the 
Baltic  with  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Czars. 

When  we  consider  the  magnitude  of  the  engineer- 
ing works  with  which  the  older  countries  abound,  we 
can  but  regard  with  a  feeling  of  pride  the  fact  that 
an  American  should  have  been  selected  for  so  high  a 
trust,  by  a  European  government  possessing  every 
opportunity  and  means  for  securing  the  highest  pro- 
fessional talent  which  the  world  could  offer.  Indeed, 
the  engineers  of  the  Russian  service  were  perhaps 
the  most  accomplished  body  of  men  to  be  found  in 
any  country.  Selected  in  their  youth,  irrespective  of 
any  artificial  advantages  of  birth  or  position,  but  for 
having  a  genius  for  such  work,  and  trained  to  a  degree 
of  excellence  in  all  of  the  sciences  unsurpassed  in 
any  country,  they  stood  deservedly  in  the  front  rank. 
Such  was  the  body  of  men  with  whom  Major  Whistler 
was  called  to  co-operate,  and  whose  professional  duties, 
if  not  directed  specially  by  him,  were  to  be  controlled 
by  his  judgment. 

Accepting  the  position  offered  to  him  in  so  flatter- 
ing a  manner,  he  sailed  for  St.  Petersburg  about  mid- 
summer, in  1842,  being  accompanied  on  his  voyage 
by  Major  Bouttattz  of  the  Russian  Engineer  Corps, 


who  had  been  sent  to  this  country  by  the  Emperor 
as  an  escort.  Arriving  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  having 
learned  the  general  character  of  the  proposed  work, 
he  travelled,  partly  by  horse  and  partly  on  foot,  over 
the  entire  route,  and  made  his  preliminary  report, 
which  was  at  once  accepted. 

The  plan  contemplated  the  construction  of  a  double- 
track  railroad,  four  hundred  and  twenty  miles  long, 
perfect  in  all  its  parts,  and  equipped  to  its  utmost 
necessity.  The  estimates  amounted  to  nearly  forty 
millions  of  dollars,  and  the  time  for  its  construction 
was  reckoned  at  seven  years.  The  line  selected  for 
the  road  had  no  reference  to  intermediate  points,  and 
was  the  shortest  attainable,  due  regard  being  paid  to 
the  cost  of  construction.  It  is  nearly  straight,  and 
passes  over  so  level  a  country  as  to  encounter  no  ob- 
stacle requiring  a  grade  exceeding  twenty  feet  to  the 
mile,  and  for  most  of  the  distance  it  is  level.  The 
right  of  way  taken  was  four  hundred  feet  in  width 
throughout  the  entire  length.  The  roadbed  was  raised 
from  six  to  ten  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of  the 
country,  and  was  thirty  feet  wide  on  top. 

One  of  the  most  important  questions  to  be  settled 
at  the  outset,  in  regard  to  this  great  work,  was  the 
width  of  the  gauge.  At  that  time  the  opinion  in 
England,  as  well  as  in  the  United  States,  among  engi- 
neers, was  setting  very  strongly  in  favor  of  a  gauge 


wider  than  four  feet  eight  and  a  half  inches ;  and  the 
Russian  engineers  were  decidedly  in  favor  of  such 
increased  width.  Major  Whistler,  however,  in  an 
elaborate  report  to  Count  Kleinmichel,  argued  very 
strongly  in  favor  of  the  ordinary  gauge.  To  this,  a 
commission  of  the  most  distinguished  engineers  in 
Russia  replied,  urging  in  the  most  decided  manner  a 
gauge  of  six  feet.  Major  Whistler  rejoined  in  a  re- 
port which  is  one  of  the  finest  models  of  an  engineer- 
ing argument  ever  written,  and  in  which  we  have, 
perhaps,  the  best  view  of  the  quality  of  his  mind. 
In  this  document,  no  point  is  omitted  ;  each  part  of 
the  question  is  handled  with  the  most  consummate 
skill ;  the  bearing  of  the  several  parts  upon  the  whole 
is  shown  in  the  clearest  possible  manner,  and  in  a 
style  which  could  only  come  from  one  who  from  his 
own  knowledge  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the 
details,  not  only  of  the  railroad,  but  of  the  locomotive 
as  well. 

In  this  report  the  history  of  the  gauge  is  given, 
with  the  origin  of  the  standard  of  four  feet  eight 
inches  and  a  half.  The  questions  of  strength,  sta- 
bility, and  capacity  of  cars,  of  the  dimensions,  pro- 
portions, and  power  of  engines,  the  speed  of  trains, 
resistances  to  motion,  weight  and  strength  of  rails, 
the  cost  of  the  roadway,  and  the  removal  of  snow,  are 
carefully  considered;  the  various  claims  of  the  advo- 


32 

cates  for  a  wider  gauge  are  fairly  and  critically  exam- 
ined; and  while  the  errors  of  his  opponents  are  laid 
bare  in  the  most  unsparing  manner,  the  whole  is  done 
in  a  spirit  so  entirely  unprejudiced,  and  with  so  evi- 
dent a  desire  for  the  simple  truth,  as  to  carry  convic- 
tion to  any  fair-minded  person.  The  dry  way,  too, 
in  which  Major  Whistler  suggests  that  conclusions 
based  upon  actual  results  from  existing  railways  are 
of  more  value  than  deductions  from  supposed  condi- 
tions, upon  imaginary  roads,  is  exceedingly  entertain- 
ing. The  result  was  the  adoption  of  the  gauge 
recommended  by  Major  Whistler  ;  namely,  five  feet. 
Those  who  remember  the  "  Battle  of  the  Gauges,"  and 
who  know  how  much  expense  and  trouble  the  wide 
gauge  has  since  caused,  will  appreciate  the  stand 
taken  thus  early  by  Major  Whistler ;  and  this  was  but 
one  among  many  cases  which  might  be  mentioned  to 
show  how  comprehensive  and  far-reaching  was  his 
mind. 

The  roadway  of  the  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow 
Railroad  was  thirty  feet  wide  on  top,  for  a  double 
track  of  five  feet  gauge,  with  a  gravel  ballasting  two 
feet  deep.  The  bridges  were  of  wood,  of  the  Howe 
pattern,  no  spans  being  over  two  hundred  feet  in 
length.  The  stations  at  each  end,  and  the  station  and 
engine  houses  along  the  line,  were  on  a  plan  uniform 
throughout,  and  of  the  most  ample  accommodation. 


33 

Fuel  and  water  stations  were  placed  at  suitable  points ; 
and  engine-houses  were  made  fifty  miles  apart,  built 
of  the  most  substantial  masonry,  circular  in  form,  a 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  diameter,  surmounted  by 
a  dome,  and  having  stalls  for  twenty-two  engines  each. 
Repair-shops  were  attached  to  every  engine-house, 
furnished  with  every  tool  or  implement  that  the  wants 
of  the  road  could  suggest. 

The  equipment  of  rolling-stock  and  fixed  machinery 
for  the  shops  was  furnished  by  the  American  firm  of 
Winans,  Harrison,  &  Eastwick,  who  from  previous 
acquaintance  were  known  by  Major  Whistler  to  be 
skilful,  energetic,  and  reliable.  Much  diplomacy  was 
needed  to  procure  the  large  money  advances  for  this 
part  of  the  work,  the  whole  Winans  contract  amount- 
ing to  nearly  five  millions  of  dollars ;  but  the  assur- 
ance of  Major  Whistler  was  a  sufficient  guaranty 
against  disappointment  or  failure. 

In  1843  tne  plans  for  the  work  were  all  complete, 
and  in  1844  the  various  operations  along  the  line  were 
under  way,  and  proceeding  according  to  the  well- 
arranged  programme.  In  1844  work  had  progressed 
so  far  that  the  construction  of  the  rolling-stock  was 
commenced.  The  locomotives  were  of  two  classes, — 
freight  and  passenger.  The  engines  of  each  class 
were  made  throughout  from  the  same  patterns,  so  that 
any  part  of  one  engine  would  fit  the  same  position  on 


34 

any  other.  The  passenger-engines  had  two  pairs  of 
driving-wheels,  six  feet  in  diameter,  coupled,  and  a 
four-wheeled  truck  similar  to  that  under  the  modern 
American  locomotive.  The  waist  of  trie  boiler  was 
forty-seven  inches  in  diameter,  and  it  contained  a  hun- 
dred and  eighty-six  two-inch  tubes  ten  and  a  half  feet 
long.  The  cylinders  were  sixteen  inches  in  diameter, 
with  a  twenty-two- inch  stroke.  The  freight-engines 
had  the  same  capacity  of  boiler,  and  the  same  number 
and  length  of  tubes,  cylinders  eighteen  inches  in 
diameter,  and  a  stroke  of  twenty- two  inches,  and 
three  pairs  of  driving-wheels  four  and  a  half  feet  in 
diameter,  all  coupled,  and  a  four-wheeled  truck,  all 
being  uniform  throughout  in  workmanship  and  finish. 
The  passenger-cars  were  fifty-six  feet  long  and  nine 
and  a  half  feet  wide,  the  first-class  carrying  thirty- 
three  passengers,  the  second-class  fifty-four,  and  the 
third-class  eighty.  They  all  had  eight  truck-wheels 
each,  and  elliptic  steel  springs.  The  freight-cars  were 
all  thirty  feet  long  and  nine  and  a  half  feet  wide, 
made  in  a  uniform  manner,  with  eight  truck-wheels 
under  each.  The  imperial  saloon  carriages  were 
eighty  feet  long  and  nine  and  a  half  feet  wide,  having 
double  trucks,  or  sixteen  wheels  under  each.  They 
were  divided  into  five  compartments,  and  fitted  with 
every  convenience. 

Early   in    1847    tne    Emperor  Nicholas  visited    the 


35 

mechanical  works  at  Alexandroffsky,  where  the  rolling- 
stock  was  being  made  by  the  Messrs.  Winans,  in  the 
shops  prepared  by  them,  and  supplied  with  Russian 
labor.  Every  thing  here  was  on  the  grandest  scale, 
and  the  work  was  conducted  under  the  most  perfect 
system.  Upon  this  occasion  the  Emperor  was  so 
much  gratified  at  what  had  already  been  accomplished, 
that  he  conferred  upon  Major  Whistler  the  decoration 
of  the  Order  of  St.  Anne.  He  had  previously  been 
pressed  to  wear  the  Russian  uniform,  which  he 
promptly  declined  to  do ;  but  there  was  no  escape 
from  the  decoration  without  giving  offence.  He  is 
said,  however,  to  have  generally  contrived  to  hide  it 
beneath  his  coat  in  such  a  manner  that  few  ever 
saw  it. 

Technically,  Major  Whistler  was  consulting  engi- 
neer, Col.  Melnikoff  being  constructing  engineer  for 
the  northern  half  of  the  road,  and  Col.  Krofft  for  the 
southern  half;  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  by  far  the  larger 
part  of  the  labor  of  planning  the  construction  in  detail 
of  both  railroad  and  equipment  fell  upon  Major 
Whistler.  There  was  also  a  permanent  commission, 
having  the  general  charge  of  the  construction  of  the 
road,  of  which  the  president  was  Gen.  Destrem,  one 
of  the  four  French  military  engineers  whom  Napoleon, 
at  the  request  of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  sent  to 
Russia  for  the  service  of  that  country. 


36 

The  year  1848  was  a  very  trying  one  to  Major 
Whistler.  He  had  already  on  several  occasions  over- 
tasked his  strength,  and  had  been  obliged  to  rest. 
This  year  the  Asiatic  cholera  made  its  appearance.  He 
sent  his  family  abroad,  but  remained  himself  alone  in 
his  house.  He  would  on  no  account  at  this  time  leave 
his  post,  nor  omit  his  periodical  inspections  along  the 
line  of  the  road,  where  the  epidemic  was  raging.  In 
November  he  had  an  attack  of  cholera,  and  while  he 
recovered  from  it  he  was  left  very  weak.  He  remained, 
however,  upon  the  work  through  the  winter,  though 
suffering  much  from  a  complication  of  diseases.  As 
spring  advanced  he  became  much  worse  ;  and  upon 
the  gth  of  April,  1849,  ne  passed  quietly  away,  the 
immediate  cause  of  his  death  being  a  trouble  with 
the  heart. 

Funeral  services  were  held  in  the  Anglican  (Episco- 
pal) Church  in  St.  Petersburg.  His  body  was  soon 
afterwards  carried  to  Boston,  and  deposited  beneath 
St.  Paul's  Church  ;  but  the  final  interment  took  place 
at  Stonington.  The  kindness  and  attention  of  the 
Emperor,  and  of  all  with  whom  Major  Whistler  had 
been  associated,  knew  no  bounds.  Every  thing  was 
done  to  comfort  and  aid  his  wife ;  and  when  she  left 
St.  Petersburg,  the  Emperor  sent  her  in  his  private 
barge  to  the  mouth  of  the  Baltic. 

"  It  was  not  only,"  says  one  who    knew  him  well 


37 

during  his  long  residence  abroad,  "through  his  skill, 
ability,  and  experience  as  an  engineer,  that  Major 
Whistler  was  particularly  qualified  for  and  eminently 
successful  in  the  important  task  he  performed  so 
well  in  Russia ;  his  military  training  and  bearing,  his 
polished  manners,  good  humor,  sense  of  honor,  knowl- 
edge of  a  language  (French)  in  which  he  could  con- 
verse with  officers  of  the  government ;  his  resolution 
in  adhering  to  what  he  thought  was  right,  and  in 
meeting  difficulties  only  to  surmount  them ;  with 
other  admirable  personal  qualities,  —  made  him  soon, 
and  during  his  whole  residence  in  Russia,  much  liked 
and  trusted  by  all  persons  by  whom  he  was  known, 
from  the  Emperor  down  to  the  peasant.  Such  is  the 
reputation  he  left  behind  him,  and  which  is  given  to 
him  in  Russia  to  this  day." 

In  1849  the  firm  of  Winans,  Harrison,  &  Eastwick 
had  already  furnished  the  road  with  162  locomotives, 
72  passenger  and  2,580  freight  cars.  They  had  also 
arranged  to  instruct  a  suitable  number  of  Russian 
mechanics  to  take  charge  of  the  machinery  when  com- 
pleted. The  road  was  finished  its  entire  length  in 
1850,  being  opened  for  passenger  and  freight  traffic 
on  the  25th  of  September  of  that  year,  in  two  divis- 
ions, experimentally,  and  finally  opened  for  through 
business  on  Nov.  i,  1851.  In  all  of  its  construction 
and  equipment  it  was  essentially  American  of  the 


38 

best  kind,  every  thing  being  made  under  a  carefully 
devised  system,  by  which  the  greatest  economy  in 
maintenance  and  in  management  should  be  possible. 
The  use  of  standard  patterns,  uniformity  of  design, 
and  duplication  of  parts,  was  applied  not  only  to  the 
rolling-stock,  but  to  the  railroad  as  well,  wherever  it 
was  possible.  Indeed,  the  whole  undertaking,  in  all 
its  parts,  bore  the  impress  of  one  master  mind. 

On  the  death  of  Major  Whistler,  the  government 
with  jealous  care  prevented  any  changes  whatever 
being  made  in  his  plans,  including  those  which  had 
not  been  carried  out,  as  well  as  those  already  in 
process  of  execution.  An  American  engineer,  Major 
T.  S.  Brown,  was  invited  to  Russia  to  succeed  Major 
Whistler  as  consulting  engineer.  The  services  of 
the  Messrs.  Winans,  also,  were  so  satisfactory  to  the 
government,  that  a  new  contract  was  afterwards  made, 
upon  the  completion  of  the  road,  for  the  maintenance 
and  the  future  construction  of  rolling-stock. 

While  the  great  railroad  was  the  principal  work  of 
Major  Whistler  in  Russia,  he  was  also  consulted  in 
regard  to  all  the  important  engineering  undertakings 
of  the  period.  The  fortifications  at  Cronstadt,  the 
Naval  Arsenal  and  Docks  at  the  same  place,  the  plans 
for  improving  the  Dovina  at  Archangel,  the  great  iron 
roof  of  the  Riding  House  at  St.  Petersburg,  and  the 
iron  bridge  over  the  Neva,  all  received  his  attention. 


39 

The  government  was  accustomed  to  rely  upon  his 
judgment  in  all  cases  requiring  the  exercise  of  the 
highest  combination  of  science  and  practical  skill ;  and 
here,  with  a  happy  tact  peculiarly  his  own,  he  secured 
the  warm  friendship  of  men  whose  professional  acts 
he  found  himself  called  upon  in  the  exercise  of  his 
high  trust,  in  many  cases,  to  condemn.  The  Russians 
are  proverbially  jealous  of  strangers  ;  and  no  higher 
evidence  of  their  appreciation  of  the  sterling  honesty 
of  Major  Whistler,  and  of  his  sound,  discriminating 
judgment,  could  be  afforded  than  the  fact  that  all  his 
recommendations  on  the  great  questions  of  internal 
improvements,  opposed  as  many  of  them  were  to  the 
principles  which  had  previously  obtained,  and  which 
were  sanctioned  by  usage,  were  yet  carried  out  by  the 
government  to  the  smallest  details. 

While  in  Russia,  Major  Whistler  was  sometimes 
placed  in  positions  most  trying  to  him.  It  is  said 
that  some  of  the  corps  of  native  engineers,  many  of 
whom  were  nobles,  while  compelled  to  look  up  to 
him  officially  were  inclined  to  look  down  upon  him 
socially,  and  exercised  their  supposed  privileges  in 
this  respect  so  as  to  annoy  him  exceedingly ;  for  he 
had  not  known  in  his  own  country  what  it  was  to  be 
the  social  inferior  of  any  one.  The  Emperor,  hearing 
of  this  annoyance,  determined  to  stop  it :  so,  taking 
advantage  of  a  day  when  he  knew  the  engineer  corps 


40 

would  visit  a  celebrated  gallery  of  art,  he  entered  it 
while  they  were  there,  and,  without  at  first  noticing 
any  one  else,  looked  around  for  Major  Whistler,  and 
seeing  him,  went  directly  towards  him,  took  his  arm, 
and  walked  slowly  with  him  entirely  around  the  gal- 
lery. After  this  the  conduct  of  the  nobles  was  all  that 
could  be  desired. 

Major  Whistler's  salary,  while  in  Russia,  was  twelve 
thousand  dollars  a  year,  a  sum  no  more  than  necessary 
for  living  in  a  style  befitting  his  position.  He  had 
abundant  opportunity  for  making  money,  but  this  his 
nice  sense  of  honor  forbade.  It  is  even  stated  that 
he  would  never  allow  any  invention  to  be  used  on  the 
road,  which  could  by  any  possibility  be  of  any  profit 
to  himself  or  to  any  of  his  friends.  He  was  continu- 
ally besieged  by  American  inventors,  but  in  vain. 
The  honor  of  the  profession  he  regarded  as  a  sacred 
trust.  He  served  the  Emperor  with  the  fidelity  that 
characterized  all  his  actions.  His  unswerving  devo- 
tion to  his  duty  was  fully  appreacited ;  and  it  is  said 
that  no  American  in  Russia,  except  John  Quincy 
Adams,  was  ever  held  in  so  high  estimation. 

Major  Whistler  married  for  his  first  wife  Mary, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Foster  Swift  of  the  United-States 
Army,  and  of  Deborah,  daughter  of  Capt.  Thomas 
Delano  of  Nantucket.  By  her  he  had  three  children : 
Deborah,  his  only  daughter,  who  married  Seymour 


Hayden  of  London,  a  surgeon,  but  later  and  better 
known  for  his  skill  in  etching  ;  George  William,  who 
became  an  engineer  and  railway  manager,  and  who 
went  to  Russia,  and  finally  died  at  Brighton  in  Eng- 
land, Dec.  24,  1869;  Joseph  Swift,  born  at  New 
London,  Aug.  12,  1825,  and  who  died  at  Stonington, 
Jan.  i,  1840.  His  first  wife  died  Dec.  9,  1827,  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty-three  years,  and  is  buried  in 
Greenwood  Cemetery,  in  the  shade  of  the  monument 
erected  to  the  memory  of  her  husband  by  the  loving 
hands  of  his  professional  brethren.  For  his  second 
wife,  Major  Whistler  married  Anna  Matilda,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Charles  Donald  McNeill  of  Wilmington,  N.C., 
and  sister  of  his  friend  and  associate  William  Gibbs 
McNeill.  By  her  he  had  five  sons :  James  Abbot 
McNeill,  the  noted  artist,  and  William  Gibbs  McNeill, 
a  well-known  physician,  both  now  living  in  London  ; 
Kirk  Boott,  born  in  Stonington,  July  16,  1838,  and  who 
died  in  Springfield,  July  10,  1842  ;  Charles  Donald, 
born  in  Springfield,  Aug.  27,  1841,  and  who  died  in 
Russia,  Sept.  24,  1843  !  and  John  Bouttattz,  who  was 
born  and  who  died  at  St.  Petersburg,  having  lived  but 
little  more  than  a  year.  His  second  wife,  who  outlived 
him,  returned  to  America,  and  remained  here  during 
the  education  of  her  children,  after  which  she  moved 
to  England,  where  she  died,  Jan.  31,  1881,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years,  being  buried  at  Hastings. 


42 

At  a  meeting  held  in  the  office  of  the  Panama 
Railroad  Company  in  New  York,  Aug.  27,  1849,  f°r 
the  purpose  of  suggesting  measures  expressive  of 
their  respect  for  the  memory  of  Major  Whistler,  Wil- 
liam H.  Sidell  being  chairman,  and  A.  W.  Craven 
secretary,  it  was  resolved  that  a  monument  in  Green- 
wood Cemetery  would  be  a  suitable  mode  of  express- 
ing the  feelings  of  the  profession  in  this  respect,  and 
that  an  association  be  formed  to  collect  funds,  and  to 
take  all  necessary  steps  to  carry  out  the  work.  At 
this  meeting  Capt.  William  H.  Swift  was  appointed 
president,  Major  T.  S.  Brown  treasurer,  and  A.  W. 
Craven  secretary ;  and  Messrs.  Horatio  Allen,  W.  C. 
Young,  J.  W.  Adams,  and  A.  W.  Craven  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  procure  designs  and  estimates, 
and  to  select  a  suitable  piece  of  ground  at  Greenwood 
Cemetery.  The  design  was  made  by  Mr.  Adams,  and 
the  ground  was  given  by  Mr.  Kirkwood.  The  monu- 
ment is  a  beautiful  structure  of  red  sandstone,  about 
fifteen  feet  high,  and  stands  in  "  Twilight  Dell." 
Upon  the  several  faces  are  the  following  inscrip- 
tions :  — 


43 


IN    MEMORY   OF 
GEORGE   ^ASHINGTON    WHISTLER, 

CIVIL    ENGINEER. 

BORN   AT   FORT   WAYNE,   IND.,    MAY,   1800. 

DIED   AT   ST.    PETERSBURG,   RUSSIA, 

APRIL,    1849. 


EDUCATED  AT  THE  U.  S.  MILITARY  ACADEMY. 
HE  RETIRED  FROM  THE  ARMY  IN  1833,  AND 
BECAME  ASSOCIATED  WITH  WILLIAM  GIBBS 
McNEILL.  THEY  WERE  IN  THEIR  TIME 
ACKNOWLEDGED  TO  BE  AT  THE  HEAD  OF 
THEIR  PROFESSION  IN  THIS  COUNTRY. 


HE  WAS  DISTINGUISHED  FOR  THEORETICAL 
AND  PRACTICAL  ABILITY,  COUPLED  WITH 
SOUND  JUDGMENT  AND  GREAT  INTEGRITY. 
IN  1842  HE  WAS  INVITED  TO  RUSSIA  BY  THE 
EMPEROR  NICHOLAS,  AND  DIED  THERE  WHILE 
CONSTRUCTING  THE  ST.  PETERSBURG  AND 
MOSCOW  RAILROAD. 


THIS  CENOTAPH  IS  A  MEMORIAL  OF  THE 
ESTEEM  AND  AFFECTION  OF  HIS  FRIENDS 
AND  COMPANIONS. 


44 

While  the  monument  thus  raised  to  the  memory 
of  the  great  engineer  stands  in  that  most  delightful 
of  the  cities  of  the  dead,  his  worn-out  body  rests  in 
the  quaint  old  town  of  Stonington.  It  was  here  that 
his  several  children  had  been  buried ;  and  he  had  fre- 
quently expressed  a  desire,  that  when  he  should  die 
he  might  be  placed  by  their  side.  A  deputation  of 
engineers,  who  had  been  in  their  early  years  associ- 
ated with  him,  attended  the  simple  service  which  was 
held  over  his  grave ;  and  all  felt,  as  they  turned  away, 
that  they  had  bid  farewell  to  such  a  man  as  the  world 
has  not  often  seen. 

In  person,  Major  Whistler  was  of  medium  size  and 
well  made.  His  face  showed  the  finest  type  of  manly 
beauty,  combined  with  a  delicacy  almost  feminine. 
In  private  life  he  was  greatly  prized  for  his  natural 
qualities  of  heart  and  mind,  his  regard  for  the  feeling 
of  others,  and  his  unvarying  kindness,  especially  to- 
wards his  inferiors  and  his  young  assistants.  His 
duties  and  his  travels  in  this  and  in  other  coun- 
tries brought  him  in  contact  with  men  of  every  rank ; 
and  it  is  safe  to  say,  that,  the  more  competent  those 
who  knew  him  were  to  judge,  the  more  highly  was 
he  valued  by  them.  A  close  observer,  with  a  keen 
sense  of  humor  and  unfailing  tact,  fond  of  personal 
anecdote,  and  with  a  mind  stored  with  recollections 
from  association  with  every  grade  of  society,  he  was 


45 

a  most  engaging  companion.  The  charm  of  his  man- 
ner w>as  not  conventional,  nor  due  to  intercourse  with 
refined  society,  but  came  from  a  sense  of  delicacy  and 
refinement  of  feeling  which  was  innate,  and  which 
showed  itself  in  him  under  all  circumstances.  He 
was,  in  the  widest  and  best  sense  of  the  word,  a  gen- 
tleman ;  and  he  was  a  gentleman  outwardly,  because 
he  was  a  gentleman  at  heart. 

As  an  engineer,  Whistler's  works  speak  for  him. 
He  was  eminently  a  practical  man,  remarkable  for 
steadiness  of  judgment  and  for  sound  business  sense. 
Whatever  he  did  was  so  well  done,  that  he  was  natur- 
ally followed  as  a  model  by  those  who  were  seeking 
a  high  standard.  Others  may  have  excelled  in  ex- 
traordinary boldness,  or  in  some  remarkable  specialty ; 
but  in  all  that  rounds  out  the  perfect  engineer, 
whether  natural  characteristics,  professional  training, 
or  the  well-digested  results  of  long  and  valuable 
experience,  we  look  in  vain  for  his  superior;  and 
those  who  knew  him  best  will  hesitate  to  acknowledge 
his  equal. 


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